Safe And Sound (Hiatus)
by JaciSerigala
Summary: "I may not always be there with you, but I will always be there for you." - Family runs deeper than blood and biology, family is the people that you can trust your life with. The people that you can trust your pride with. The people who will stand by you through thick and thin. - Current Chapter: Ultear and Meredy
1. Chapter 01: Gray And Juvia

**\- SPOILER WARNING: Tartaros Arc -**

 _.: I Remember Tears Streaming Down Your Face :._

When they first met, he didn't really think too much of it. She was just an enemy, who was threatening his family. And that was unforgiveable. But as they fought, he saw that there was a flicker of light buried behind the poisonous nature of Phantom. And although he couldn't quite keep up with all her mood swings, he found himself naturally gravitating towards her. He found himself wanting to bring that light he saw out of her, and help her find a healthier path in life, much like others had done for him. So, he pushed, and struggled to find and maintain that balance between remaining loyal to his guild and helping this stranger - this enemy. When the sky finally cleared, and he saw her crying, he was caught off guard, but something inside of him finally clicked into place, and he finally understood some of the things she had been spouting during their battle. She had never seen the cloudless sky, nor the sun.

It was an odd feeling to watch someone see the blue sky that loomed over everyone heads for the first time, but he would be straight up lying if he described the moment as anything less then magical.

After that meeting, he had never expected to see her again, his mind would still wander back to her, occasionally, and their fight, and he would find himself wondering how she was doing and hoping that she was moving towards finding her own happiness. He had never expected to see her at a casino, with the lovely ambiance of Natsu and Happy getting angry at a machine, like the children they were. But he couldn't bring himself to say he was disappointed about seeing her again, and he could feel his heart warming and fluttering as he could see how she had grown since they had last met. And when they fled to go rescue Erza, he was given the opportunity to see how helpful she could be as an ally, rather than an enemy, and whilst he still wasn't happy about her berating Lucy quietly, behind his back, he could still feel the seeds of friendship beginning to sprout.

He found himself completely elated when she joined their guild, and he found himself looking forward to working with her, because it meant that he could keep on helping her - and when she defended Gajeel, he found himself lacking the will to fight as he trusted her judgement so instinctively. He wasn't sure what to make of this odd pull towards her, but aside from her blooming adoration of him, she was very alluring in her own right. He knew that he wasn't ready for romance yet, not whilst he was still working out so many mental issues from his many run ins with his past, he knew in that moment, that he had found an ally that would stick with him for as long as she possibly could.

That assurance of loyalty was something, he didn't realize he had been lacking. Of course, Fairy Tail had his back, and he still loved their bizarre family to death, and he could still trust Erza and Natsu with his life, but he didn't realize that he had been keeping his distance from them too, as a defence mechanism to try and dissuade a repeat of his past. But he was completely incapable of keeping her away and out of his life. He couldn't even keep her at a distance, because her promise of assured support was something he had been quietly craving ever since Deliora, but was too afraid to ask for.

It was a little overwhelming and intimidating to be this close to someone, and to be able to put this much trust into a bond that ran deeper than romantic and even familial, and he even his pride couldn't deny that it was terrifying. But, he put up with it, because he couldn't bring himself to push her away, because her presence was still soothing, no matter how lovesick she became.

But, when the conflict with the Tartaros guild rolled around, a brand new, huge fear made itself known. He was so swollen with grief and despair and sorrow, at the fact that he had all but killed his own father, that he found himself facing the quiet insecurity that had been lurking just behind the shadows in his mind. The question of whether he deserved to even be in the Fairy Tail killed, when he had purposely brought harm to his own blood, ran around and around his mind, never once being silenced for the entire year that the guild had been split up. And that of course, included her, and whether he deserved her loyalty or not. When she had confessed to be the final nail in the coffin of his father's death, he could feel his heart on the edge of breaking as she broke out into tears, right there and then as she claimed that she no longer had the right to love him.

He saw that they were both dealing with the same problem, but at the same time, he realized that they both wanted to keep the relationship that they had built up over the course of years, but neither of them were sure that they could still have that bond, after what they had done. When he stood up and walked up to her, he crumbled in her arms, because he was so desperately clinging to what they had. He thanked her and apologized to her. All his feelings were running together, as his grief-stricken heart hissed venom at the woman who had killed his father, whilst his lonely mind was so glad that he could stay like this, with her.

She held him on that day, and allowed him to cry his tears and speak his mind, and still her view of him didn't change, somehow. They stayed there for hours, as they both caved to their emotions, clutching to each other as they still battled with the question of whether they were still allowed to ask for help from the other.

 **Feel free to point out any spelling or grammar mistakes, they're all very useful to me.**

 **Welcome to Safe And Sound, a book dedicated to the unspoken bonds between our favourite Fairies. Not all of these are focused on ships, this just happened to be first. It wasn't even written to be a GrUvia oneshot, but you're more then welcome to take it that way. I'm not the biggest fan of GrUva, and I have no idea where I stand in terms of opinions, but no matter what, I can't deny the charm that comes with the untouchable bond of loyalty between the Ice and Water Mage of Fairy Tail.**

 **Word Count: 1027**  
 **Next Chapter: Ultear & Meredy**

 **~ Jaci**


	2. Chapter 02: Ultear and Meredy

**\- SPOILER WARNING: Tenrou Island Arc -**

 _.: When I Said I'll Never Let You Go :._

* * *

When she first said it, I was so scared, and my entire existence was so painful that I wanted nothing more than to believe her. And I did. She extended a hand to me and gave me an escape from the nightmare that was the night my village was destroyed. She held me and let me cry, she was my guardian angel in every sense of the word. And I loved her so much; more than anyone else before her. No one could even come close to the admiration that I felt for my dear mother. I was so young, and so cut off from the world, under the possessive eye of Grimoire Heart that for a time I believed that she was my birth mother. Well... maybe that's not true, I wasn't that young, so I did know that Ultear wasn't my real mother. But I didn't care, Ultear was the person I needed.

At that point, I definitely couldn't survive without Ultear. Yes, I had the rest of my guild, but Ultear was the one I loved, she was the one, last piece of family in a world that had taken all my other family from me. Yes, I still cared for Zancrow and Kain and the Master and all of them, but they weren't family - they were comrades that I could trust for a little while, until the time was right and someone either died or no longer needed the other. I was so determined to be the one to push that button first that I didn't allow myself any time to stop and think about what I was doing.

Juvia helped.

Juvia helped a lot. I don't think I can begin to describe what she did for me, but whatever she saw in me, whatever she thought was worth saving, it didn't matter if I didn't understand it completely, because I knew that she was right. Juvia obviously cared for Gray, Number #1, and I could see that she loved him, but I didn't care. Why should I? Gray was the one who had hurt my mother, my angel. He didn't deserve mercy after what he had done to Ultear. And if Juvia was willing to go so far to protect the b*stard then she had to die to - measly Number #13.

* * *

An embrace was the last thing I was expecting during that battle. Especially from Juvia who had gone ballistic when I mentioned her loved one. But there she was, with me in her arms and tears spilling down her face as she pleaded to me to keep living. I didn't understand, and I don't think I ever will, but something about her voice snapped the barricades inside my heart and set all of my emotions free. Even though she was my enemy, in that moment all I could feel was love.

I didn't understand.

I didn't understand!

How could this be happening? How could someone - an enemy, no less - love me? How dare she be telling me about what to do with someone I love?! Ultear deserved every sacrifice as far as I was concerned!

I didn't understand... But now I do. I had never realised how toxic Grimoire Heart was. I never realised how little the Guild Master cared for us. I never really realised how suffocating the guild itself was. Ultear was my only light in a world of darkness. She was the only one who showed me love. That was the way it was meant to be... right? So why was I here? In Juvia's arms? Being loved by someone other than Ultear?

It wasn't right! It wasn't how the world worked!

As far as I was concerned, you were only allowed one person to love per lifetime. That was what I had learnt as I grew up. That was what I knew. But apparently I was wrong.

* * *

Ultear and I were never the same after Tenrou Island. Both in our own ways, and our relationship. It was as if the island had not only broken Fairy Tail down, but also the false connection between mother and daughter. Ultear was so different on the boat as we floated away from the Fairies' sacred ground. I didn't realise it then because I couldn't get my mind off what Zancrow had said.

It didn't seem feasible. How could Ultear... my protector be the reason that my original family was killed?! Between this and what Juvia had done for me - my world was crumbling down. Everything that I knew was wrong, and I could no longer even trust Ultear. I was all alone. I was cold.

When I looked up, I no longer saw the person who had been my mother for almost a decade, I saw a shell of the person I once loved. She had changed. Someone had shown her the error of her ways, the same way Juvia had done for me. And it was that change that made me willing to trust her again. Or maybe, it wasn't the change, maybe I still couldn't let her go. Who knows? That moment didn't matter, not in the grand scheme of things.

My world was broken, and the cracks were webbing and thinning out all around me, but I wasn't scared. I was almost complacent, it felt like this is what I deserved, or that my time at Grimoire Heart had been building up to reach this climax. But Ultear didn't know, and I wasn't sure if she cared. I heard her say sorry, the same word I heard her speak on that day. But I didn't want to trust her again.

It wasn't until she was tipping overboard with a sword through her chest that world completely shattered. She fell and she sank - she didn't come back up - and I would be all alone if she didn't. She couldn't leave me! I needed her! I had to save her!

In that moment, my world shattered, but little did I know that there was a new one - a new hope waiting just beneath it. In the moment that I leapt after Ultear, I knew that we'd be okay because we had each other. Our past mistakes didn't matter, because we were both still here.

So I thought...

* * *

 **Feel free to point out any spelling or grammar mistakes, they're all very useful to me.**

 **I might come back to revisit this at a later date to add the after math of Tenrou Island and Ultear's death, but I'm satisfied with how it is now. Meredy has always been an interesting character to me, and God knows that familial relationships are the cutest thing in any form of media ever, so I really wanted to write something from her perspective, so wa-lah! I don't really know what else to put. Err... hope you liked my little concoction of whatever the hell this ended up being.**

 **Word Count: 1053**

 **Next Chapter: Natsu and Zeref**

 **~ Jaci**


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